Small Cities Month

"As a former small town mayor, I can personally attest to the unique and important role our smaller communities play in making our nation a great place to live and work. Our nation's character for over 200 years has been defined by small cities and towns across this country. Small Cities Month is a celebration of all that our small towns offer to their residents and to the nation." - Clarence Anthony, NLC Executive Director

You're invited to celebrate Small Cities Month with NLC!

This June, we're focusing on the hundreds of smaller cities in our membership. They are the cobblestoned harbor villages of New England, the friendly beach towns of the South, the Main Streets in farm valleys across the Midwest, the postcard-picturesque desert oases, and the lush Pacific Northwest suburbs. They are America's small cities, and each one boasts its own distinct charm untethered to the rush of the great metropolises. Their downtowns pay homage to their heritage, and their beautiful settings inspire creativity.

Communities under 50,000 represent 1,413 of NLC's member cities. We treasure our small cities, not only for their essential contribution to America's cultural landscape and history, but because they have proved to be stand-out leaders in innovation, art, food, science, and entrepreneurship. Almost every small community has a particular strength (with the bonus of fresh air and a big sky) and their residents are experts at preserving what makes their place unique.

We're celebrating their creative solutions, like these six featured at Big Ideas for Small Cities presented at NLC's Congressional City Conference in March. We're celebrating their distinct personalities, by sharing their photos and stories on Facebook. We're celebrating their efforts to build partnerships with the federal government. Check out the samples provided below for ways that you can join in this celebration, and make sure to tweet about what makes your city great on Twitter and Facebook, using the hashtag #smallcities15.

To learn about just a few of our small cities, click on the interactive map highlighting some of our member communities across the nation.

Celebrate with us! Please feel free to use the samples provided below to promote Small Cities Month in your city.